Bicycles Aren’t What They Used to Be
When the first bicycles hit the streets, they were intended to provide an alternative transportation method to walking. Throughout the years, nearly every kid in America had to have a bike and struggled to learn to ride it. Almost everyone remembers when they first got their training wheels taken off and made it down the driveway all on their own. Those bikes we used to ride down the neighborhood streets have evolved into a whole new breed of machine. Extreme sports athletes now ride BMX and mountain bikes in all sorts of terrain, pushing the bicycles to the limits.
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When the first bicycles hit the streets, they were intended to provide an alternative transportation method to walking. Throughout the years, nearly every kid in America had to have a bike and struggled to learn to ride it. Almost everyone remembers when they first got their training wheels taken off and made it down the driveway all on their own. Those bikes we used to ride down the neighborhood streets have evolved into a whole new breed of machine. Extreme sports athletes now ride BMX and mountain bikes in all sorts of terrain, pushing the bicycles to the limits.
BMX bike riding has dominated the extreme sports world as showcased in events like the X Games. The bikes are typically crafted of extremely light metals that provide strength and stability. Most BMX bikes are built to cruise on both paved and dirt surfaces. During the X Games, riders participate in freestyle street courses, dirt track racing, and freestyle dirt jump competitions. In freestyle events, the riders flip and spin the bike while in the air or perform different types of grinds on the street terrain. Some of the participants hit gigantic ramps and fly across the course at insane heights and speeds. A crash can be rather brutal and injuries are somewhat common. While helmets do prevent a lot of damage, other padding doesn’t help a whole lot when gravity is pulling you out of the sky and down to the ground.
Mountain bikes have also become very popular. Most of these bicycles are designed from very rigid lightweight metal frames. Tires have deep treads that allow the rider to navigate some extremely diverse terrain. Some riders casually descend mountain routes of varying difficulties while others choose to participate in extreme downhill races. These races can be very dangerous and injuries run rampant. Participants fly down the side of a mountain, traversing rocks and obstacles both large and small while trying to avoid trees or other dangers. Falling down and getting hurt is always a real possibility, especially when riding over unstable terrain. These bikes are also well suited for cruising unpaved wilderness trails as well. Chances are you’ll reach your limit before you can push one of these well-crafted bikes to its limit.
In this day and age, no matter what type of bike you like to ride one thing is always true. These sure aren’t your mother’s bicycles anymore.
Arturo Chuong is currently writing about sports, and travel related articles. Check out Jansport’s complete product line of luggage set, sporting, hiking, and business bags including, wheeled luggage, laptop cases, and functional luggage.
